In The Name Of Justice
by Multifandoms98
Summary: It's been 10 years since Bellwhether was sent to jail for turning predators savage. But now, she's back and looking for revenge. Her target? Not just predators, but a certain sly fox who helped put her away. Can Nick and Judy fix this before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Judy groaned, hearing the blare of her alarm ring throughout the room, and into her sensitive bunny ears. She rolled over, burying her head under a pillow, willing the noise to go away. It was way too early for work, _especially_ on a Saturday. But life in Zootopia doesn't stop, and so she sighed, lightly shaking the form next to her.

"Nick, turn in _off._ "

She heard a low growl of protest, but alas the damned thing was turned off. Judy sighed in content, muttering a "thanks" before rolling over on her back and _attempting_ to will away the sleep. Last night had been a long one at the station. She didn't get much sleep, and now they were at it again like clockwork. But finally, she managed to urge herself out of bed and get ready for the day.

* * *

"Where is everyone?" Judy asked, raising one of her fluffy ears up into the air. She found it particularly odd that there was no other noises being heard in the house. Especially on a Saturday. There would have at least been the background noise of a TV being played somewhere in the house.

"Friends house." Nick answered, nonchalantly as he sipped his coffee.

The two stood in the kitchen, trying to fill up on caffeine before heading out for the day. Chief Bogo had sent out an urgent call, saying he needed all officers at the station, alert and ready to go. It was nearing six o'clock by now. They didn't live too far away and they were expected to be there no later than 6:30am, so they still had some time on their hands.

"When will they be back?" Judy asked, but again, Nick just shrugged.

"Don't know" he said, not bothering to elaborating on the subject as he began to gather up the rest of his things for work.

Judy sighed, following what he was doing. Nick always told her to stop worrying. _They can take care of themselves_. Judy hoped he was right. Afterall, Zootopia is a _big place_. Who knows what could happen to them out there.

"You're going to fry that brain of yours, Carrots." Nick said, his sly smirk slipping into place. "They're fine, I promise." he said, reading her thoughts exactly.

Judy couldn't help but to force a smile. "I hope you're right, but okay! Let's go."

* * *

"Alright everyone, listen up and listen good!" Chief Bogo's voice rang throughout the room. "We have a new problem on our hands that needs to be taken care of immediately. We have a new missing person's case."

The room seemed to intensify within a matter of seconds. Missing persons cases are hard to solve, and no doubt this one won't be a walk in the park either, considering the seriousness matter at hand. They can only hope they some good leads and some evidence to go along with it.

"The person we are looking for is in fact none other than Mayor Lionheart."

And just like that, everything just got worse.

"This case is now our top priority, and I need everyone alert and on the case! With that being said, I'm splitting up this cases to each of your teams, but you are all to stay in contact and work together to solve this case. Zootopia is counting on us to bring our mayor back."

So one by one he handed out different agenda's to different teams. One team got the job of finding evidence, another to talk to friends and family, get a sense of why he has suddenly disappeared. Soon there were only two teams left, and when the other team was assigned the task of finding Lionheart, Judy became concerned.

 _So help me if he assigns us parking duty…._

"Hopps and Wilde!" Bogo said, placing a rather thin file down on their desk. "You get the task of finding Mayor Lionheart's kidnapper."

And Judy sighed with relief. No doubt this was going to be a hard case, but at least she wasn't stuck here filing paperwork. Her and Nick shared a look of determination and confidence as they headed out of the conference room and out towards the front desk.

"So whatcha get?!" Office Clawhauser asked the pair as they approached.

"We get to find the crazy kidnapper." Nick said, kind of excited. It's been awhile since they were given a big case like this.

"O M Goodness, this is so exciting!" The cheetah squealed. "I wish I got to go out and do that kind of stuff. But instead, I get to sit here and watch all the crazies come in and out of the station. It's quite amusing."

The pair laughed at their cheetah friend. "We have to go now."

"Oh yeah! Right, of course, don't let me stop you!" he said, waving them off. "They're gonna need all the help they can get."

* * *

"So, where to first, Carrots?" Nick asked, sitting in the passenger seat, shades firmly in place as he flipped through their case file. They didn't have much sadly. A few suspects were listed, including Duke Weaslton, although how someone so small could have kidnapped a lion, Nick had no clue. They had a few locations sighted for the last place the Mayor was seen, but unfortunately, they would be travelling all over the city districts.

"We need to go talk to some some suspects around the city, and then we're off to Tundratown to go talk to Mr Big. Apparently he has some helpful information for us."

"Don't tell me it has something to do with one of his limo drivers." Nick shuddered.

Judy only laughed. "I don't think so. Anyways, we need to talk to Weselton."

"Weaslton." Nick laughed. "You know he hates when you call him that."

But she only shrugged, as she stepped on the gas in search of their next destination.

* * *

"Just tell us what you know." Judy insisted, growing impatient. Nick stood by her side, as the two tried to get the weasel to talk. Although, by the looks of it, threatening to take him back to Mr. Big seemed to do the trick.

"Alright, alright! But I don't know much!" came Duke, who seemed a little frightened by the bunny rabbit. "Last I saw of the Mayor, he was heading home from City Hall. Saw some not so friendly guys following behind him. Seeing as I'm not all that popular around here, I hid. Didn't want to get my tail kicked again, you understand." he said.

"How long ago was this?" Judy asked.

"A couple nights ago. Two, maybe three."

"Makes since." Judy says. "He's been missing for over 48 hours now."

"Do you know who was following him?" Nick asked.

"Was about three or four of em. Don't like me very much. Don't particularly know their names, but it was a bear, a rhino, and a Sheep." he said.

Judy frowned. _Sheep, huh? Why does that worry me?_

"Couldn't make out the fourth one. Maybe a horse? Zebra? But that's all I know! I swear!"

"Just one more question." Judy said. "Where can I find a 'Mr. Hunchback'?"

* * *

"You know him?" Judy asked her partner as they pulled into an abandoned office building on the outskirts of the Sahara District. It was late into the afternoon. If they're lucky, they should be heading home soon. Of course, if they learn any new valuable information here, they may need to put in a couple extra hours.

Judy sighed at the thought as she fished through their case file and handed him a photo of their next suspect.

"Course I do, Carrots, told ya I know everyone." he said with a playful wink. "Edward Hunchback. He pretty much owns every franchise in this district. Lots of money." Nick said.

Judy frowned. "So then why the abandoned building?"

Nick shrugged. "Just because he has lots of money doesn't mean he earned it the right way. Apparently he's got this whole underground thing going. Can't exactly do that in an office building in the middle of the city."

"So he specializes in illegal activity…" Judy commented. "Think we need backup?"

"Nah, we'll be fine." Nick said, hopping out the car. "Just let me do all the talking."

* * *

Considering they were in the Sahara and it was the middle of summer, it was _really cold_ in the abandoned building. Judy was practically shivering. Perhaps animals of different species were working with Mr. Hunchback who weren't exactly born in the desert heat. "Where are we going?" Judy asked Nick, who seemed to be leading their "team" of two.

"Don't know, but this place is huge." he said. "Wish we had a map."

Judy rolled her eyes, perking her ears up to see if she could hear anything. The building was big, but simple. It must be an abandoned dentist's office or something. There weren't any long, mysterious hallways, or closet doors hidden with mischief and danger. The building itself was only about three stories high. It wasn't intimidating at all, inside or out. Very low profile, you really wouldn't expect any illegal activity to be going on around here. The only thing eerie about the place was the lack of lighting.

Suddenly, Nick threw his arm out, causing Judy to stop in her tracks. "You hear that?"

Judy's ear perked up, trying to find something. "Not really. Just a rumbling sound, like maybe the air conditioning unit or something."

"Or something." Nick replied as he scurried off down the hall. Judy followed suit. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever. When they hit the end, there was only two ways to go. "Split up?" Nick asked, unsure.

Judy thought for a moment. They needed to figure out what was going on, but she didn't exactly feel right being separated from Nick either. Judy pushed it away though. Right now they were partners at work, and they needed to be smart about what their next move would be.

"You go left, I'll go right. Got your walkie talkie?" Judy replied.

Nick gave a firm nod, before the two disappeared out of eyesight.

* * *

As she continued down the hallway, the rumbling got louder. The hall seemed to have gotten darker, but maybe it was just the sun outside sinking lower, darkening the light shining through the windows that lined the wall. Judy paused momentarily wondering if she should call backup. Stubbornly, she shook her head.

 _I can do this on my own._

Eventually, upon reaching the end, there was a door opened, a dull light, probably from a lamp, shining out into the hallway a bit. Judy advanced forward, stopping a few feet away from the door, to listen in on what was going on.

"...I told you, if you want it done, it comes with a price." the voice said. "Either your in or you're not, but I get paid either way…..yeah….okay."

 _What's he talking about? Another kidnapping maybe?_

"Sure I can…..oh please, they'll never find him, not in time anyways….. He's probably frozen to death by now."

Judy had to stop herself from gasping. _Tundratown! He's there somewhere, probably locked away. But did this guy do it? Maybe he hired someone to do his dirty work. Or maybe-_

"Carrots!" Nick shouted, running down the hall. It appears he was being chased by two rather large guards. Bears maybe? It was hard to tell. "We gotta go!"

Judy paused. _Well now they know we're here…._

Judy couldn't just leave though. She was so close to finding answers. Maybe not to his kidnapper, but she could probably at least figure out where the Mayor was being hidden. So, without really thinking, she ran into the room where Mr. Hunchback sat at his desk and slammed the door shut, locking it in place.

"Carrots!" was the last thing she heard, upon closing the door. _Sorry Nick…_

"Ah, Judy Hopps." came the same voice she had heard before. She turned around to face none other than Edward Hunchback, a camel who had now stood up from his desk to walk around and properly greet the bunny cop. "I've been waiting for you to arrive. I've heard a lot about you."

"Enough small talk." she said, clearly not in the mood. "Where's Mr. Lionheart?"

The camel gave her a sneer smile. "I'm afraid it's a little too late to be asking that question my dear. I have no idea where he is."

"You're lying!" she spit out bitterly. "I heard you on the phone, something about him freezing to death."

"And what makes you think that it is the Mayor I was referring to?" The camel asked, a sense of hurt in his voice. "Aren't police officers supposed to have proof of things before they come into someone's establishment, accusing innocent people of innocent crimes?"

Judy looked about ready to attack. She was a prey, sure, but she could get pretty fired up and downright scary. "You are _not_ innocent. And it seems that the police have had a warrant on you for well over a year now. Mind explaining that?"

"Dear, naive, cute little bunny." he said.

" _Don't call me cute!"_ she growled.

The camel continued on as though she hadn't said a thing. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. I suggest you walk out that door, and return back to your partner before you both get seriously hurt."

"I'm not going anywhere without some answers." she said. "The first being who are you working for and who was on the other end of that conversation?"

The camel sighed, taking a seat back in his desk chair. "The person I was talking to was a Mr. Watterson, and who I work for is of no importance to you."

Judy had to take in deep breaths, using everything in her power not to scratch his eyes out. "Who is he, and what were you two talking about?"

The camel made a tsk tsk noise. "You think I'm just going to give away information _that_ easily? I'm quite offended."

"Just answer the damn question!"

"Ooh, feisty." he said. "I like that about you. Anyways, I don't know much. I just answer calls and deliver packages."

"What kind of packages?"

"I'm getting there." he said. "Patience is key. All I know of this Mr. Watterson is that he lives in the Rainforest District and I may have his address." he answered with a sly smirk. It wasn't like Nick's; playful and filled with mischief. No, his was filled with pure evil and bad intent.

It send a shiver down her spine.

"Of course I can give you the information you're looking for….with a price of course."

The bunny groaned. "What do you want?"

The camel's smile seemed to grow that much more terrifying. "A trade."

* * *

Nick had made it about halfway down the hallway when he had decided it be better to be safe than sorry, and call for backup. Boy, was he glad he had made that decision, when he ran out the front entrance to see the building surrounded by more police cars. A sigh of relief escaped him as the two animals chasing him were immediately cuffed and driven back to the police station for questioning.

"Where's Officer Hopps?" came another officer.

Nick's blood seemed to have run cold. "She's still in there. I don't know what she's up to, but I imagine it can't be good."

"Alright, let's send a team in to get her."

Nick seemed to sigh in relief. He just hoped Judy was okay. They may be partners, but he loved that bunny with all his heart, and he'd bite the head off of anyone who dared lay a finger on his Carrots.

He went in with another team to go and retrieve his partner. As soon as they reached the end of the hallway, they could hear yelling from the room, Judy had disappeared into. Nick only hoped that she wasn't getting herself into something that she couldn't get out of.

As they approached the door, they could hear their muffled conversation through the door.

"On the count of three." an officer said, but Nick wasn't really listening. He just wanted his Carrots back.

Within a couple of seconds, the door was busted through, Mr. Hunchback was taken into custody, and Judy emerged from the room, a confident smile on her face.

"What's up with you?" Nick asked cautiously.

"I think I know where to find our Mayor."

* * *

"Thanks to Judy's quick thinking, our team is closer to finding Mr. Lionheart." Chief Bogo addressed the department. "But there's still more work to do. Hopps, you still need to find his kidnappers, but for now you are to go home and get some rest for tomorrow's work." he said. Judy would have argued against it if Nick hadn't of ushered her out the door, against her protests of course.

"Come on Carrots, we've got people waiting for us at home." he said. "Besides, there's a team already out looking for the Mayor around the clock. There's not much else for us to do tonight."

Judy sighed, knowing he was right. "Okay. Let's head home."

* * *

"Mom's home!"

Judy smiled as she entered into the house, followed closely behind by Nick. "Daddy's here too!" he said.

Around the corner, came a little bunny, hopping up and down in excitement. "I _told you_ they'd be home in time for dinner!" Hope shouted.

"What, you want a medal or something?" a voice replied from deeper into the house, probably from whoever was in the kitchen making dinner.

Hope frowned, bouncing back in the direction of which she came. "Shut up Lexi!"

Nick and Judy stepped fully into the house, taking off their uniform vests, before walking deeper into the house. Upon entering out of the front hallway, they see their kids all huddled up in the kitchen. Hope sat at the kitchen table, with her twin sister Maria while Lexi was cooking something in the oven.

"Where's Chase?" Judy asked.

Lexi shrugged. "Somewhere. Most likely his room."

"I'll go get him!" Hope shouted, leaving the table to go get her brother.

Lexi smiled, turning to her parents. "I may have put a little too much sugar in her cereal this morning."

Judy shook her head, and Neck just kept smiling, happy to see his family happy and together. Giggling could be heard down the hall, followed by the thumping of feet, as the little bunny scurried down the hall, laughing, followed by a red fox chasing after her. Eventually he caught her and threw her over his shoulder as they walked over to the dinner table.

"Chase! Put me down!" she laughed.

"If you drop her I swear." came Lexi, scowling at her twin.

He only shrugged. "Calm down Lex, I'm not gonna drop her." he said, gently setting her down, tickling her sides, before finally letting go.

Maria giggled. "You totally should have dropped her."

Chase flashed her a smile, similar to his father's. They looked almost identical; same colored fur, same colored eyes. His sister was different though. Alexa or Lexi, the oldest and also a fox, had Judy's grey fur and purple eyes. Maria, a bunny, had brown eyes, and brown fur to match. And little hope, although Maria's younger twin, was still known as the baby of the family, with bright white fur and blue eyes.

"He'd never do that!" Hope defended her older brother.

Eventually, Lexi came over with the food, pizza of course, along with a salad and breadsticks. Once everyone was settled, the family of six sat down and ate, talking about their day and what they all did. Someone on the outside who didn't know them might have found the sight quite odd, but to them, this was normal. People for the most part had accepted Judy and Nick's relationship a long time ago, so when they got married and decided to have kids, it was no surprise to them. Judy's parents absolutely loved them, and Lexi was best friends with Clawhauser's son Max. Even Nick's mother, who didn't understand, or agree with the relationship at first, finally accepted them, and absolutely loves her grandchildren.

Not everyone agrees of course, but they were a happy little family, nonetheless.

After dinner, the kids ran off to do their own various things, and Nick and Judy decided to settle down for the night and watch was some tv on the couch. The house was quiet except for the tv and the occasional laugh from the two bunnies down the hall. They shared a room and loved to play games together. Lexi was probably off in her own little world, talking to some friends, and they could only hope Chase was working on his summer school homework.

No, this family wasn't perfect, but whose was?

Judy sighed in content. "I'm happy we decided to come home."

Nick smiled fondly, kissing Judy on top of her head. "Me too. Got a long day ahead of us though."

Judy frowned. "Let's not think about it right now." she said, turning her head slightly to kiss Nick on the lips.

"Eww, they're kissing!" Hope said, covering her eyes as she ran around the corner.

Maria snickered, running up behind her. "Leave them alone!"

"What's up girls?" Nick asked, chuckling.

The twins shared a look. "Nothing." they said with a shrug and a giggle as they turned back around and ran back to their room.

Judy couldn't help but to laugh. "That was weird."

"You love us." he said, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Do I love you guys?" she asked herself, placing a paw under her chin, as she pretended to process the question. "Yes. Yes I do."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning was the same as any other. The alarm blared throughout the room, causing the two cops to groan in protest, but nonetheless force themselves up and out of bed. It was another bright and early day, only a little bit after 5am. The only noises that could be heard throughout the house was the sound of the shower running, the coffee machine hard at work, and the sound of a TV playing in the background, no doubt probably coming from Chase's room.

Judy sighed as she sat at the kitchen island, sipping her morning coffee and looking back over their case file. Yesterday had been a hard one, but at least she was closer to finding not only the missing Mayor, but his kidnappers as well. Mr. Hunchback had asked for a trade; he'd hand over some information and in exchange, he was to be protected from any harm that would come his way. Of course _that_ wasn't going to happen, but Judy played it up, saying how he'd be protected under the law, and a whole bunch of other nonsense he seemed to believe for the time being.

Turns out whoever this Mr. Watterson is, is more vital to the case than they had initially thought.

But there was just one thing that still wasn't quite adding up. What was the motive for the Mayor's capture? He hadn't been doing anything wrong from what Judy could tell, and whoever it is that was after him happened to be running illegal businesses right under the city's nose. Was Mr. Lionheart involved in these illegal activities? After the incident with Assistant Mayor Bellwether and predators turning savage, it wouldn't appear as though he had gotten himself into any more trouble.

Judy felt as though her head might explode, lightly placing it on the table, paws combing through her fur in frustration.

"Carrots…" came a familiar voice, slightly shaking her shoulder.

Judy looked up at her husband, giving him a weak smile. "Hey."

"You okay there?" he asked, clearly concerned. "It's a bit too early in the morning to be getting yourself all worked up, isn't it?" he said, his signature sly smirk coming through.

But Judy wasn't so sure. This was her job after all, and it was quite stressful. How was she supposed to figure this all out, and then piece it all together? Not to mention, they were on a short timeframe considering the Mayor could very well be….

Well, she didn't want to think about that possibility right now.

"I'm fine." she reassured him. "I'm just…. worried."

"Well, don't be." he said, rubbing her shoulders soothingly. "We're gonna find him. We always catch our guys." he replied with a wink, placing a soft kiss on Judy's cheek. It brought a smile to her face.

"You're right." she said with new found confidence. "Let's go find our kidnappers."

* * *

"Mr. Watterson?" Judy said, knocking on his door. The drive to the Rainforest District had been a long one. Especially since Nick _insisted_ on driving, and he could be a little reckless. That and they kind of got a late start on the day. They made it to the office a little late, again, because of Nick, and once they got there, of course they had to meet in the conference room to hear what new information Chief Bogo had for them. Afterwards, they had spent a few extra minutes talking to Officer Clawhauser.

 _Apparently Max has a thing for Lexi…._

Okay, this is _not_ the time to be thinking about that right now. Judy mentally scolded herself for getting off task so quickly while waiting for Mr. Watterson to answer the door. She chanced a glance over at her partner who at least seemed to be on task and not daydreaming like she had been. "So who is this guy, Nick?"

"Don't know." he said with a sly smile.

Judy rolled her eyes. "Come on Nick, you know _everyone_."

But he only shrugged. "Guy keeps a low profile. Sure, I've seen him around a few times. Even sold him a pawpsicle a few times." he replied, seeming deep in thought. "I don't know much, but from what I can recall, he does get around. He moves from job to job a lot, never in the same place for more than a few months."

Judy frowned. "That must be hard."

"Maybe. Or really convenient if you're running from the law." he said just as the door swung open. Behind it stood a lemur, not much taller than Nick. He looked to be a bit fidgety, probably not expecting the cops to be at his door, especially at this time of day considering how lemurs tend to be more of a night animal.

"Are you Mr. Watterson?" Judy asked, to which he nodded. "Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde from the ZPD, we have a few questions we'd like to ask you."

"Oh, um, of course! Come right in!" he said, still very fidgety. It made Judy wondered why.

The inside of the house was far from neat. Paperwork was scattered everywhere, empty bottles thrown across the floor, trash and fur everywhere. Not to mention the odor. The furniture was old, appliances rusty, carpet stains everywhere. Judy was becoming more and more concerned with their suspect.

"Please, take a seat." the lemur insisted as the group of three all sat around his kitchen table. "So, what is this about?" he asked, still a bit fidgety as he now twiddled his fingers under the table, as his paws rested in his lap.

"We just have a few questions for you and then we'll be on our way." Nick answered, nodding at Judy to continue.

"I'm sure you're aware of the fact that our Mayor is missing." Judy stated, to which Mr. Watterson nodded. "Well, it appears as though you are in line for some questioning, the first being, do you know anyone by the name of Mr. Hunchback?"

At the mere mention of his name, the lemur seemed to go pale. His fidgeting increased, and what Judy thought before was a slight stutter seemed to come out even more.

"Oh, I uh, I don't, I mean, who is, or, um, yeah, why?" he stuttered, avoiding eye contact. He continued to stare at his lap, visibly shaking, paws still twirling around.

"Do you work for him?" Judy asked.

"What? _No!_ Of course not! Where would you get an idea like that?"

"Well, it would appear that you two had a very nice conversation the other day." Nick interjected. "Something about, oh I don't know, a new drug going around?"

Mr. Watterson seemed to be taken aback. "How do you-"

"We traced the call." Judy says, somewhat irritated. "We are the police after all, so with that being said, I suggest you tell us the truth, otherwise you'll be going to jail for a lot more than just illegal drug use."

"I-I don't-"

"You don't use it?" Nick answered for him. "That seems highly unlikely, but even if you weren't, you're definitely selling it, right?"

"I-I don't, what are- _I've done nothing wrong!"_

"Oh, but you have." Judy replied, knowing that if they kept pushing him, he was bound to slip up and say something useful. "It appears that _not only_ have you been in and out of work for the last couple of years or so, but you've been able to keep up a stable living environment. Gotta say, this place is a bit run down, but there's no way you can be in and out of work and afford to live this nicely." Judy, smiling sweetly while she watches her suspect slowly unfold. "You must be doing _something_ on the side in order to keep all of this up."

"And speaking of being in and out of jobs, it seems as though for a short period of time, you were actually _working_ at _City Hall!_ " Nick says, his sly smile firmly in place. "Care to explain that?"

Now this caught Judy by surprise. A few of his past occupations were listed on his file, but that one was not one of the ones listed. So how would Nick have such information if she in fact did not? Surely the police department would have gave them that piece of vital information.

 _I told you carrots, I know everyone…._

"You sly fox." Judy muttered under her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Nick's smile widen just the slightest bit at the comment.

"Well, I, that isn't, I don't think-"

"Well, let me tell you what _I_ think." Nick said, cutting him off. " _I think_ that it was an inside job. I think that _not_ _only_ were you working with Mr. Hunchback at the time, I think you and Assistant Mayor Bellwhether had a thing going on too." he said.

And then the lemur went silent. Still. _They finally had him where they wanted him._

"It would explain the drugs and the connection to the kidnappings." Nick continued. "And once you were no longer needed, you left the scene, found a new job, but you kept in contact with Mr. Hunchback. Why? Because you still needed to get your _own_ fix, right?"

"I had nothing to do with the Night Howlers!" he sneered. "Nothing at all!"

"But you _did_ have something to do with one of the drugs laced in it." Judy said, now connecting the dots. "Maybe you didn't know the end goal, but when asked to retrieve a certain drug, you knew _exactly_ where to go. And hasn't anyone ever told you not to use your own supply?"

The lemur in question was absolutely stunned. His gig was up. There was nothing else to say, how could he defend himself at this point? It was all over, and there was nowhere for him to run now. All he had to do was confess.

"Alright, alright!" he finally breaks. "I'll admit, I was working for Bellwhether. She was already working with Mr. Hunchback, I was more of the middle man. When she needed something, she'd come to me. I'd go to Mr. Hunchback and request the drug. He'd give it to me, to which I gave to Bellwhether, and then she sent it off to her secret lab to be used for whatever." he explained. "But after she was busted for the Night Howlers, which I knew _nothing of_ , I left my job. I didn't want to risk being involved with something that I really had no part in. But yes, after that whole... _fiasco,_ I kept on selling….and using. Me and Bellwhether were no longer in contact, but I was a regular when it came to , and he didn't seem to mind, as long as he got his money. But I don't know _anything_ about the Mayor! I swear!"

Nick and Judy both gave him a look that said "I don't buy it."

"Alright! He was drugged, but not by me! Whoever kidnapped him gave him something, I don't know what, but it knocked him right out. I can give you some names, but that's all I know! I swear!"

Nick turned to look at his partner. "You get all that?"

Judy had a similar sly smile on her face as she held up her pen and played back what Mr. Watterson had just confessed to. "Every single word." she replied with confidence.

Judy and Nick shared a look of satisfaction before putting the lemur in cuffs and leading him out to their car. The look of bewilderment on his face was priceless, but the two cops simple replied with "It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

* * *

"We want to interrogate Mr. Hunchback." Judy said. The two partners sat in Chief Bogo's office. After they brought the lemur into custody, they filled out some paperwork and found out where Mr. Hunchback was being held. He had been interrogated once before, but now they had new information, and they needed to ask him a few more questions before he was locked away again.

The Chief sighed. He wanted to tell them no, but if he knew anything about Judy after these past ten years, he knew when she meant business. This was one of those times where she was _not_ going to take no for an answer. "You've got an hour. Make it count Hopps."

* * *

"Why, isn't it my little cutiepie! You're back!" the camel said, actually looking _happy_ to see her, as if they had become the best of friends.

"Yeah, I don't much care for that name either." Judy scolded.

"And you brought a friend! How lovely." he said.

Nick actually looked irritated for once, no longer wearing a smirk, but a frown that read _mess with my Carrots and see what happens._

"We have some questions for you." Judy stated, taking a seat across from their suspect. "Tell us about this new drug, and why it was used on the Mayor."

The camel sneered evilly. "And why should I do that?"

"Because you're going to jail anyways, so spill!" Judy practically yelled, already losing patience with this guy.

"You're so adorable when you get all mad." he stated.

A low growl could be heard from Nick. "Just answer the damn question."

The camel sighed. "Alright, alright." he said, raising his cuffed hooves in the air as a sign of surrender. "Here's what I know. I got a phone call the other night for a new drug placement. What it is or what it does, I don't know. _But_ what I _do_ know is that whatever it is, it's strong and lethal. It takes a while to travel through the bloodstream though, which must be why your dear lion friend is somewhere out there freezing to death. Must be slow and agonizing." he said with a sickening sweet smile.

"Is it like Night Howlers?" Judy asked. "Is he slowly turning savage or something?"

"Not quite my dear." he replied with yet _another_ annoying nickname. "This is no Night Howler serum. Now believe me, it's still out there. I hear it's even more potent than before." he says with another evil grin. "But this is intended to kill whoever is injected with it. Think of it as having the opposite effect of the Night Howler drug. This one attacks your body, slowly killing you from the inside out. Very painful."

"What's in it?" Nick asked.

Mr. Hunchback lets out one of those stereotypical evil laughs. "I just sell the product, I don't make it. Who knows what's in them. Look, someone calls me, puts in an order, I go down to the lab, pick up the package, and I send it out to whoever. I'm getting paid no matter what, so I could care less what it is that's being sent in and out, much less what's _in_ the damn thing."

Judy sighed. _We are getting nowhere._

"Aww, don't look so sad, sweetheart." the demented camel said. "If it means that much to do, I'll give you a little hint." he said. "Mike, Blake, Doug, and Shelton."

"Who?" both Fox and Bunny asked in confusion.

The camel laughed, a playful, at ease smile on his face. "You're kidnappers." he said as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "The bear, rhino, sheep, and zebra? That's who you need to look for."

 _Doug…..doug…..doug…._

"Doug?" Judy spoke out loud. "Why does that name ring a bell?"

The camel laughed one last evil laugh. "Because he's the one who was making the Night Howler's."

* * *

"I _knew_ when Duke mentioned a sheep I was on to something!" Judy exclaimed as they walked into their office.

"Care to explain then Carrots?" Nick asked, closing the door behind them. "Because I have no idea who you are talking about."

"Uh, Nick! When we solved the Night Howler's case, we were on that subway!"

"Yeah, with all the flowers - _and that creepy sheep!_ The one talking on the phone who shot Manchas and Mr. Otterton!" Nick exclaimed, finally getting it. " _That Doug?!"_

Judy laughed wholeheartedly, knowing it was out of place, but placing a kiss on Nick's cheek nonetheless. "Yes Nick! _That Doug!_ " she said with a giggle. Nick blushed from the gesture. "And I thought you knew everyone."

Nick seemed to blush even more at that statement. "I do! I just wasn't piecing it all together. That's all." he said, actually becoming shy.

Judy smiled, pulling her husband in for a hug. "Thank you."

"For what?"

Judy shrugged. "For being here. For helping me out. If it weren't for you, I would have never made it this far."

Nick shrugged, some of his cockiness coming back. "I mean, I am amazing."

Judy giggled, punching him in his arm, letting go of their embrace. "Okay, come on! We have work to do!" Judy said, getting kind of excited. "Now that we've got all this new evidence, we need to go to Tundratown."

"Wait, shouldn't we be looking for our four kidnappers?" Nick asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for finding the Mayor, but that's not our job Carrots."

"Remember I said Mr. Big has some helpful information for us?" Judy asked.

Nick smiled. "I do, yes."

"So come on!" she said, hopping up and down, on her way out the door. "Besides, I wanna see my Goddaughter!"

"Carrots, wait!" Nick said, grabbing her arm before she could open up the door.

"What is-" Judy was halted by a pair of soft lips landing on hers in a slow kiss. It didn't last that long, probably no longer than three seconds, but to Judy, it felt like an eternity. When Nick pulled away, she whimpered in protest.

"Okay, come on." Nick said with a sly smile, leaving Judy behind in a world of confusion. "We don't have all day Carrots!" he said, turning to give her a wink before continuing to stroll down the hallway.

Judy sighed in content, placing a paw where he had just kissed her. It amazed her how even after all these years together, he still had that effect on her. She smiled jauntily to herself, biting her lip as she ran to catch up with her sly husband.

"You're going to pay for that." was all she said, giving him a sly wink of her own before proceeding to take the lead as they exited out of the police station.

"Can't wait." was his only reply as they made their way to Tundratown.


	3. Chapter 3

"Judy! Nick! So nice of you to drop by." Mr. Big greeted the pair. They smiled back, exchanging greetings, before finally getting down to business. Although Judy was fine hanging out with Fru Fru, her Goddaughter, and Mr. Big, surrounded by various polar bears, Nick still felt a little bit of unease. Sure, he's been on the force for over ten years now, and he left his life of crime behind a long time ago, but it was still a bit intimidating to be standing here.

"So, what do you have for us?" Judy asked excitedly. Her mood has definitely picked up, now that they know who the kidnappers are. Nick was happy to see her spirits lifted, especially with how stressed she's been lately.

"Hate to say it, but it involves yet another one of my limo drivers."

"Called it!" Nick said, elbowing Judy in the side, who just rolled her eyes.

"He wasn't kidnapped or anything, was he?" Judy asked, ignoring Nick's little happy dance off to the side.

"No, _but_ it turns out he was actually working against me." Mr. Big continued on to explain. "One of your kidnappers you're searching for, the bear. He's not just any type, but a polar bear. He ran into some altercations, and I had to let him go. Unfortunately, it was too late. He helped drive the getaway car with your dear Mayor inside."

Judy made a note of this in her handy notebook, carrot pen in paw. "Do you know why he would be helping with the kidnapping of the Mayor?"

Mr. Big shrugged. "Mike owed a lot of people favors, including me. Part of the reason why I had to let him go. But I guess he had higher priorities. He ran with a group that I didn't particularly care for. He betrayed me. But that's not the point. Truth of the matter is, he just hung out with the wrong people. Blake and Sheldon both work for Doug, and when the time came, they asked for Mike's help in the scheme."

"So Doug wasn't involved directly with the kidnapping? He was just there to overlook it?"

"Bingo."

"So then, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Nick said. "So, how are we supposed to find him?"

"Wait, wasn't he in jail?" Judy asked. "How is this possible?"

"Doug has lots of connections, knows people who owe him favors." he said. "He went to jail, but either his sentence was short, or someone bailed him out. Either way, he's been out working these streets for a while now." Then Mr. Big sighed, pausing a little bit before continuing. "You didn't hear this from me, but Doug and Mr. Hunchback are close working partners. Mr. Hunchback doesn't know anything about his product because it's Doug who handles all of it. Find him, find your drugs, including the new Night Howlers, _and_ the Mayor."

"And where are we supposed to find him?" Nick questioned, a bit apprehensive.

"Ah, that my dear friend, I do not know. But I have a friend who might. Mr. Small."

* * *

"I'd ask if you know who this is, but I'm guessing that you do."Judy said, a slight smile still on her face.

Nick gave her a reassuring one. "Of course I do Carrots. Luckily for _me,_ I've never done anything bad _or illegal_ to get myself into any trouble with him."

"Well, good! I wouldn't want another altercation to occur while visiting him." she replied. By now it was getting late again, and although Judy was in a better mood than usual, she was still starting to grow tired. It was funny to her how whenever they started their day, it's her who's the perky one and Nick who just wants to go home. Seeing as how over time it's slowly Judy who wishes to go home, although she'd _never_ admit it to anyone, and Nick who urges to push on.

The car ride through Tundratown was a quiet one for the most part as Judy sat in the passenger seat just staring out the window, watching the flakes of snow land on the window and slide down. She liked looking at their small details. It was amazing how no two snowflakes were ever the same. It made them unique from one another who otherwise all looked the same in the vast tundra environment.

"Whatcha thinking bout over there Carrots?" Nick chimed in, breaking the silence.

"Nothing, really." she answered him, leaning her head against the cool window. "Just thinking…"

"You okay?" he asked again.

"Hmm? I'm fine."

Nick couldn't help but to laugh a little bit. "Usually, when a girl says that 'their fine' they usually are not, in fact, 'fine'." he said.

Judy sighed. "You know me so well." she said, grasping the paw that wasn't on the steering wheel and squeezing it in her own. Nick turned his head to send a friendly, loving smile towards Judy before turning his attention back to the road.

"I guess I just want this all to be over. I just wanna find Doug, the kidnappers, and the Mayor. I want to get rid of all these harmful drugs and I want to…."she trailed off.

"You what?" Nick asked, but Judy was silent. "Come on talk to me." but she still said nothing. "Judy?"

Judy sighed, heavily. Nick only called her that when he was being really serious. "Sometimes….I feel like….I don't know. Nevermind." She didn't want to finish her thought. Not because she wasn't open to Nick; they had no secrets. It was just hard for her to admit it, even to herself.

But she didn't have to. Nick know's her so well, he already knew exactly what she was going to say. He gave a little sympathetic chuckle. "I know Carrots, I know. Life _would_ be easier if we could just go back to issuing parking tickets."

This made Judy smile, kissing their joined paws.

But then Nick sighed. "But you and me both know that that's not what you want." he said, chancing another look at her before turning to the road again. "You'd be bored out of your mind, giving Chief Bogo hell until he put you on a new case."

Then he paused for a moment. "Do you ever wonder why we get handed the biggest cases? Why Chief Bogo doesn't just tell us to go interview family members or to file away paperwork? Because even _he_ knows you'd give him shit about it. And that's not a bad thing. You like challenges. If it were up to me, I'd stay in the office all day and file stuff away. Be a lot safer there than out here anyways." he said. "But I knew that that's what I would be faced with when deciding to be your partner. And not once since then have we ever been assigned to do anything less than challenging and dangerous."

Judy smiled. "I know you're right. I'm just stubborn like that."

"Stubborn, hard headed, relentless, persistent-"

"Okay! Nick, I get it." Judy said, laughing at his choice of words.

"Dumb bunny." he muttered playfully.

"You love me." Judy replied, sticking her tongue out at her partner.

"Do I? Yes, yes I do." he said, sending her a playful wink.

Judy smiled playfully, biting her lip as she turned to face the window again. "I think you just might have to prove how much you love me." she said.

Nick pulled over and put the car in park, seeing as they had finally made it to their destination. Then he turned towards Judy and gave her a puzzling look. "What, you don't believe me?" he said with a sly smirk.

Judy was starting to blush a bright red. " _No,_ I didn't not say that." she said, with a playful smile, confidence in her voice, reaching over to stroke his arm. "I just think actions speak louder than words." she said with a playful wink.

A low growl emitted from the back of Nick's throat that sent a shiver down Judy's spine. Being a prey, and Nick a predator, you'd think such an act would terrify her, but it always did the exact opposite. Sure, her heart rate would increase, breathing became heavy, and her fur would stand up on end, but for a _completely_ different reason.

"Careful, Carrots." he said, warning in his voice as he licked his lips. The way he was staring at her, as if he _literally_ wanted to eat her right then and there as if she was just some prey he was hunting down, did things to her she couldn't even begin to imagine. "Don't start anything you can't finish."

Although Judy would have _loved_ to see where this was going, she decided to stop teasing him. _That could wait until later on._ Instead, she gave him a playful giggle, and ruffled the fur on top of his head, causing him to growl, but more in annoyance than anything else. "Well come on then!" she said, returning back to her normal self as she stepped out of the police car. "Besides, I believe it was you earlier who said we don't have all day." she repeated with his signature sly smirk.

Nick groaned, stepping out of the car, muttering something under his breath along the lines of "dumb bunny" and "such a tease". Judy only giggled. "Told you you'd pay for it." she teased.

"Yeah, we'll see who's paying for _what_ later." He grumbled as they approached the front of Mr. Small's mansion.

* * *

The place was huge. Turns out him and Mr. Big have been long time friend's. Kind of ironic how Mr. Big is a small shrew, while Mr. Small is a rather tall moose. But, nonetheless, upon meeting the two officers, who he had heard a lot about from his friend, was more than happy to let them in and answer some questions for them.

"So, what can you tell us about Doug?" Judy asked after they got all their small talk out the way. Nick seemed to have calmed down considerably, after their little talk in the car before entering inside of Mr. Small's house.

The moose sighed. "Sadly, I don't know much. But, what I _do_ know, is that he's still working for Ms. Bellwhether."

This caught the Bunny and Fox off guard. "What?" Judy asked at the same time Nick asked "How?"

The moose chuckled from their expressions. "They've been working together for years!" he exclaimed, waving a hoove as if it were no big deal. "These past ten or so years, Doug's been working on the inside and out. Both him and Ms. Bellwhether know a _lot_ of people. Lot's of connections. I hear, the Night Howler serum is strong than ever." a grim look forming on his face. "I sure do hope the Mayor is found in time, before it's too late of course."

"Do you know the name of this new serum?" Nick asked, looking even more concerned than before.

"It has many names." the moose said. "The most common being 'NS' or Nocturnal Slumber. Basically puts whoever is injected in a sleep like state, slowly killing them. Of course, in the case of the Mayor, if he really is being kept somewhere, frozen away, it will take a lot longer for it to travel through his bloodstream. Especially since he is a rather large lion, it's going to take a longer period of time to take effect, verses if it were to be injected into someone of, say, you're size." he said, nodding to judy. The thought made her shiver. "You'd last maybe a couple hours, frozen maybe a day. But our lion here has been missing for about three, four days? He's probably still alive, sure, but he's not going to survive the rest of the week."

"So we need to find Doug, get answers, and get the Mayor to a hospital, before he ends up…"

"Right." Nick said. "So where can we find Doug?"

"He works in this huge warehouse, ever since you two blew up his lab in the subway." Mr. Small answered with a laugh. "But, boy, he won't be happy to see you two! I'd bring all the backup you can find!" he said with a chuckle. But he wasn't making fun of them, it was a clear warning that they need to watch out before they end up like Mr. Lionheart. "Gotta remember, he wasn't kidnaped for no reason. There's always a reason."

"But what!" Judy exclaimed, becoming angry. Not at Mr. Small of course, he's been nothing but kind and truly helpful. She just felt hopeless. Why hasn't she connected the pieces together yet?"

"You're overthinking this, this little bunny." he said. Judy would have been irritated except for the way he said it. It wasn't said in a demeaning or offensive way. It was used in a friendly manner, and Judy didn't mind that. "Maybe he simple just _knew_ too much."

Judy frowned, but it seemed as if a bright lightbulb just exploded in Nick's head. "What?" Judy asked.

"Come on Carrots!" Nick said, becoming excited. "He worked right along side with Bellwhether! _Of course_ he knew too much! He was like a deer caught in headlights!"

"I'm still not following…." Judy was getting a whole new headache.

"Your partner here is saying that the Mayor has access to everything at City Hall, including computer info, security cameras, filed documents. He knows and sees all, and apparently he learned of something he shouldn't have."

And then it clicked.

"Oh my god!" Judy exclaimed, jumping out her seat. "He knows everything! He's literally the key to _everything_!"

"And we don't have much time to ask him exactly what that 'everything' is before he's dead, Carrots, we gotta go, _now!"_

"Thank you so much for the help!" Judy said. "We can't thank you enough."

But the moose just laughed, waving her off. "At least let me tell you where to _find_ Doug. From there, you should be homefree."

Nick and Judy shared a smile of triumph. _Finally_ they were going to solve this case.

* * *

"This is it." Nick said, as they pulled into the abandoned warehouse. Unlike the abandoned building on the outskirts of the Sahara District, this warehouse was in the center of the Rainforest District, which was quite brilliant actually. Who would expect illegal activity to be going on in the heart of the city? There were no lights, no vehicles laying around, it fit the description of being abandoned. The only sign of life the building held was the fact that it looked like the building was being maintained and cared for, instead of as if it was to collapse at any minute, unlike the last place.

Not only was Judy and Nick at the scene, but they did call in a wide team of backup. Even Chief Bogo was here with his squad, which meant this was going to be a serious break in. They only had one task. Find Doug and get out. Although Judy was going to try her damndest to find those other three kidnappers and bring them in as well. Nick, of course, had her back, but most of all, he just needed to make sure that she was save.

It was completely dark out by now, having to work overtime, but it was going to be worth it in the end. Judy had already called the kids, and they had been sent to Nick's mother's house for the night. She was more than happy to get to spend some more time with her grandkids though.

"You ready?" Nick asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, whenever everyone else is." was her reply.

Soon, everyone was gathered around various parts of the building, ready to go in and attack. Nick and Judy were with the team in front, there was a team in back, there was a team on either sides of the building, and a couple teams who were to stay outside and fight off whoever tries to flee, as well as a group assigned to roof access.

A plan was discussed and on the count of three, all doors were busted through, and the team's filed in. At first, all was good, no noise, no movements, nothing. But then the team reached a certain point in the hallway, and all hell broke loose. Soon enough, bullets were flying, yelling was erupting, and the officers started to fall one by one. Judy was getting worried. Most of her team was starting to fall, being in the front, and all over the building, various cries of help and for backup could be heard. But soon, the cries were turning into screams and it was then that Judy realized what was happening.

These weren't bullets.

Someone was shooting Night Howler tranqs.

Cops were turning against one another, unable to fight the serum they had been injected with. Judy had to think quickly. "Follow me, and stay low!" she shouted, not really knowing what she was doing, but leading the pact anyway. Nick gave her a mortified look that said _What the hell Carrots, are you trying to kill us all?!_ Judy may have been offended by the lack of trust in those eyes, but deep down she knew he just didn't want to lose her.

But right now they were partners, and she needed him to trust her while she found her way to the nearest stairwell and proceeded to crawl upstairs. She figured everyone who was heavily armed had to be on the ground floor. Some of the officers who were assigned upstairs, had already cleared that level out, and were coming down the stairs to help out there. She could hear someone over her radio on her chest saying that someone was giving out antidotes to those who had been shot with the Night Howler serum.

Judy continued to scamper her way through the large crowd before signalling everyone to listen up. "I think I know where Doug is! But I need everyone to trust me!" she said before diving into her plan. Everyone seemed to agree, and after splitting everyone up into teams once again, they were on the move. Someone radioed in that the whole first floor had been cleared out, criminals in cuffs, and those turning savage had been restrained and were being sent to the hospital for proper treatment. Judy sighed in slight relief, before focusing back on the task at hand.

Everyone was to continue on to the upper floors, clearing them out and making arrests, while Judy and her team were to return back downstairs and to the basement. Turns out on their way to the second floor, Judy noticed a little hidden passageway that lead downstairs. Judy knew that that's where their criminal would be. She quickly lead the team down, not wanting to chance a way for him to escape. Nick was behind the group, making sure everyone was okay, though he wished he could have been up front with Judy.

But she wasted no time, and soon, they were bursting through the basement, firing shots, and trying their best to avoid the Night Howler tranqs. They must have known they were coming from a mile away, because they were already waiting for them by the door. Only problem was that Judy had spotted Doug before he spotted her, and she took the opportunity to sprint after him.

By the time he saw the little rabbit coming it was too late. She ran up on him, jumping up into the air, and landing a hard bunny kick against his skull, causing him to fall back against some tables, knocking them over. "Carrots!" she could hear being yelled across the room, but it was too late. Someone had come up behind her and grabbed her, before throwing her against the farthest wall. She cried out in pain, her body aching all over. She looked up and saw Nick fighting off whoever it was that attacked her, and Doug being dragged out in cuffs, yelling various obscenities that she couldn't make out.

"Carrots?" came a voice, all too familiar to her. Her vision was blurred and she couldn't make out the figure, but she didn't need to. She was happy that he was okay. He was safe, and that was all that mattered.

She smiled. It was Nick. "Carry me…." was the last thing she said, before passing out in his arms.


End file.
